4 out of 5

Label: Skin Graft Records

Produced by: ?

While the post-AoR bands could (uncharitably) be described as “same but different,” Psychic Graveyard’s first singles have shown off a more clear agenda, even if it’s not yet fully formed. The baseline is noisier; grimier – all of Eric Paul’s bands are noisy, but there’s a kind of poppy “clarity” to the instrumentation – and there’s a clear leap in the lyrics towards what might comparatively be called maturity.

That said, Loud As Laughter is a very AoR song, with the cacophonous melody applied at a fever pitch that recalls Yahweh material, and the pounding drums of the same intensity Weasel Walter gave those recordings. But there’s still something different, in that PG sounds particularly enthused and unleashed in a way that Chinese Stars / Doomsday Student couldn’t always achieve, and though Paul’s words are ultimately a bit limited, there’s an emotional undercurrent here that’s pretty much heretofore been unseen. It’s even a slight disconnect between that content and the music, but the disconnect itself is incredibly promising. The track rocks.

The remix, by Liars, gives it a dub-esque low end stomp and slows up the vocals. Unlike the Dead in Different Places remix, which felt rather like a simplistic club take, Liars puts more notable effort into it, tweaking the vibe and feeling of the song significantly, and throughout.